clinking

verb

present participle of clink
as in jingling
to make a repeated sharp light ringing sound coins clinking in his pocket as he traipsed down the street

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clinking Just the sight of the glasses, dewy with condensation on the outside and filled to the rim with clinking ice, nearly chilled my body. — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 The smell of sterile floors, gowns, instruments on clinking metal trays. — Rebekah Taussig, Time, 7 July 2026 The central lobby space is a social scene abuzz with people enjoying formal afternoon tea, clinking glasses at the Champagne bar (rotating themes and partnerships add variety for locals) or tucking into meals at the dining room. — Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Avtan often won’t tell Paz anything about the source or meaning of her many samples, which can take the form of fragmented dialogue and what sounds like clinking kitchenware. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026 In the heart of the Altstadt, a short walk from Marienplatz, another of Munich’s must-sees, Hofbrauhaus is a swirl of oompah music, clinking liters and travelers discovering that Bavarian exuberance doesn’t require a festival. — David Dickstein, Oc Register, 10 June 2026 Where to Eat Linger for hours on the patio at Lakeside Chophouse, clinking glasses of Vinho Verde and watching deer saunter by. — Shilo Urban, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026 The hushed buzz of clinking Champagne glasses or afternoon tea pots pouring steaming cups comes from the adjacent lobby lounge. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 May 2026 The pleasantly buzzy ballroom, cast in semi-dimmed lighting, filled with excited chatter and clinking silverware, felt like a slightly unwieldy wedding reception. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clinking
  1. jingling
  2. tinkling
  3. ringing
  4. rattling
Verb
  • The Household Cavalry, on dark horses and with brightly shining breastplates, trotted past, jingling like a cutlery drawer.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
  • The hiker then begins jingling bells in the bear's face in an attempt to scare it off, but the bear charges forward.
    — Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of jingling
Verb
  • The small fragments of colorful glass, strung along together, produce soothing sounds, their tinkling notes wafting through the air alongside a chorus of windchimes and the sweet scent of plumeria blooming in the garden.
    — Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2026
  • Food and drink Fontana restaurant is the main attraction here, with an inviting courtyard and a tinkling fountain lending a European feel.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 June 2026
Definition of tinkling
Verb
  • In April this year, the carillon bells atop the Plaza’s tower, fashioned after La Giralda in Seville, Spain, began ringing again.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Local media also reported gunshots ringing out from the Plateau administrative district, where the Presidential Palace and key institutions are located.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of ringing
Verb
  • The song was a frenetic evolution of Brooklyn drill—the grimy, bone-rattling subgenre of hip-hop popularized by Bobby Shmurda—and its instrumental by the British producer 808Melo gave it a brash East London bounce.
    — Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The blockade choked one of the world’s most important shipping lanes and Iran dictated where the war’s frontline would be, rattling the global economy.
    — Justin Fishel, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of rattling

Browse Nearby Words

clinkety-clanks
clinking
clinks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clinking. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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